Friday, September 30, 2011

Well, we've come to the point in our football season that the "big games" that really matter are here! Tomorrow my Hokies will be playing the Clemson Tigers. While I won't be heading to Blacksburg this weekend, my cookies will be making the trip with two sets of friends.

Being a dual alma mater household with both parties being passionate about our team, I know the conflict that must occur when your teams play each other. You're used to cheering for both, but then you are forced to side with YOUR team. Thankfully we have not had to face that in our house, but our good friends are in that boat this weekend. Therefore their cookies were made half Hokies, half Tigers.

Hopefully they will make a nice treat to drown the Tigers' sorrows in after the game (although I will admit to my nerves as Clemson has been on QUITE the roll lately.)

Then we have a batch going along with my friends whose Hokie heritage dates back several generations. They are acting as gracious hosts this weekend to a Clemson friend and asked for "ONE" cookie in their honor...

Thank you Lauren & Chris and Team Reynolds for giving me something fun to work on this week to get in the spirit. Looking forward to being friends again rather than rivals starting Sunday. :)

Thursday, September 29, 2011

I love to shop. And my love for accessories...shoes and purses specifically...is strong. I have always been into both and I know I am not alone. ;) I loved the days of Carrie Bradshaw (still do really) and am a chronic online shopping cart filler who typically deletes all of my hard work. I guess sometimes a minute or two or that full cart gives me enough of a fix?! (Please tell me it's not only me who does this.) Admittedly though, I don't always delete the cart and have been known to "make the rounds" to my favorite stores during football Sundays.

So when my friend asked me to make shoe and purse cookies for his accessory-loving wife's birthday, I knew I would have fun with it. Flip flops quickly morphed into Revas (a birthday girl favorite) and I revisited my love for animal print.

I loved seeing a Tweet from the bday girl that the cookies were a great surprise. And what a thoughtful husband she has!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

My mom and I have always had a "thing" for pineapples. And I don't necessarily mean eating them, but rather decorating with them and viewing them as a sign of hospitality. Perhaps that is why our entire wedding had a pineapple undertone. Whenever I pass a pineapple in the grocery store, I think of my mom meticulously lining them up on the market floor in search of the ones that stood up "perfectly straight" to make candles out of for our engagement party and wedding...

We find ourselves scooping up any pineapple decorations we see and like I said, it's just our "thing."

Recently when my brother saw a pineapple cookie cutter during his vacation, he told my future sister-in-law that, "Amy would love this." So they kindly brought it home for me and it lasted in my cabinet about 24 hours before I made these cookies from it.

Good thing I wasn't as into making cookies during our wedding planning or there is no doubt I would have been making these by the hundred. :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Recently I made cookies for my friend who was the MOH in a wedding. She had the idea of me making a batch for the girls to enjoy as they primped for the big event. We decide to channel the details of the day into the cookies. I replicated the design on the invitation, the bride's shoes and of course her dress as well. The piece de resistance was a replica of the bride herself, hand cut complete with a veil.

If you could have seen the dress, you would know that I was able to recreate Vera onto a cookie almost exactly, down to the jewel detail on the black satin sash. My friend told me that was the bride's favorite part...and it was mine too. :)

Monday, September 26, 2011

I loved college. I think we've already covered that. One of the main reasons that I loved college so much was undoubtedly thanks to my beloved sorority days in Alpha Phi. Many of my closest friends today are my pledge sisters and the memories of the fun times are endless.

Enter my sorority sister's real-life little sister who is loving life being a part of her own sorority at college down south. Seeing her photos always makes me so nostalgic (and thankful that we didn't have digital cameras and Facebook in college I might add - is it me or are college girls today so much more stylish and and thin?!) ;) It's fun to see her enjoying herself and reliving the fun that I remember from my college sorority days. So when she asked me to make cookies for her Kappa Delta big sis revelation, I was thrilled considering that event remains one of my favorite memories.

I was given full creative reign here and decided to incorporate the sorority colors, symbol, sneak in some school spirit and of course mention the occasion at hand. I had so much fun making these while reminiscing about the pizza I received with A-Phi written in pepperoni during my big sis clue week! Loved that.

Thank you very much Jackie! I'm so happy you're having fun...keep the pictures coming for your jealous friend, okay?? :)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Recently when I received a request for Rapunzel cookies, I had a feeling they were going to be based on the "new" version of an old fairytale...and I was right. I thought through how to bring them to life and focused in on a few things...Rapunzel's dress and crown, the castle complete with ivy and a long blonde ponytail and Maximus the horse.

They won the approval of an adorable birthday girl, whose favorite was the dress since that was what she was wearing for her fete. ;)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Lilly Pulitzer has long been my favorite brand. While it isn't always the easiest for me to wear to work, you can almost always catch me in it on the weekends or at a special event. (Who could forget the evening wedding last summer where my friends and I took a group photo? Every single one of them looked chic in black and there I was in my bright pink Lilly dress, proud as ever.) And as you know, I planned my entire wedding keeping Lilly in mind. So you can imagine how excited I was when I received a request for Lilly turtles and elephants to be used as party favors at a child's birthday party. I was all over it. :)

Even though they were rather delicate, I paticularly love the elephants.

Thank you very much Bridget - I hope you had a wonderful time at the party!

Monday, September 12, 2011

It seems as thought we have spent the majority of the last month in the rain. First it was Irene who rolled through and last week Lee absolutely pelted our area. It was so flooded here on Friday, schools in our area were closed. So it was only fitting that I made Noah's Ark cookies last week considering I was about a day away from needing an ark myself.

These cookies were made as favors for a baby shower. The hostess sent me this invitation:

And told me I could do whatever I wanted with them. So I decided to do my icing version of the ark and added in five different animal faces to mimic the animals on the invitation, keeping the backgrounds colorful and fun.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

I am sure the question “Where were you on 9/11?” will remain a prevalent question in our minds forever. I believe it is the question of my generation and certainly hope that there is not another similar question that has to be asked down the road.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 I was a senior in college on my way to a 9 a.m. appointment at the Career Center to finalize my resume for an upcoming job interview. I sat down with the woman assigned to help me who casually said, “Did you hear that a plane hit the World Trade Center?” I didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a propeller plane and having no idea it was a packed commercial flight. We continued our meeting with the radio playing next to us when we heard that a second plane hit. Next we heard that a bomb went off at the Pentagon (which we later learned was a plane.) Then I told the lady that I had to leave and promptly RAN back to my house to watch in horror alongside three friends on our living room floor as the World Trade Center towers crumbled to the ground. Dan Rather could not speak at that moment and quite frankly neither could we.

The phone lines were jammed for hours and I remember the uncertainty in my stomach of not being able to reach my family. Ironically the cable in our house went out, so I and a few friends walked across the street to a dorm to watch the TV in their common room as it was confirmed that another plane went down. With classes cancelled, the day went on watching the coverage. I finally reached my mom and asked her if I should come home, not knowing what to do or what was going to happen next. I remember her saying, “It is probably safer where you are. Stay there.” With my family living fifteen miles away from the White House, I was scared. Having family and friends living in New York City, I was scared. Having roommates who spent that entire day not being able to locate family near the tragedies, I was scared. All in all it was the most terrifying day I have had. I know my story is tame and extremely fortunate compared to the story of many others, however it is a story that I will carry with me always...just as we all will.

Another thing prominent in my memory about the days that followed 9/11/01 was the intense patriotism expressed throughout our country. Everywhere I looked on campus, I saw the American flag proudly flying. Whenever I turned on the news, I saw the same thing wherever they were broadcasting from. There seemed to be an overall awareness of remembering what truly mattered. Those of us who experienced the events of that tragic day together were forever bonded and always remembered when we told “our story” of where we were when we learned the news of 9/11. We would never forget.

While I typically keep things light on One Preppy Cookie, I felt that it was only appropriate to acknowledge those who lost their lives ten years ago today. And also to salute those who were courageous to help others in any way and demonstrated selflessness that many cannot even imagine.

So let’s celebrate those people along with our country as a whole today. We remember.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Lately it seems like more and more people I know are not finding out if they will be bringing home a baby boy or baby girl from the hospital. While I know that I would never be able to keep that a surprise, I think it's exciting for them. I also think it lends itself to a classic baby shower with pink AND blue decor.

Recently I made these ribbon topiaries for a gender neutral baby shower (tutorial coming soon.) I thought they made for unique centerpieces in a room with high ceilings that could use a little pizazz.

They inspired matching pink and blue bow cookies.

Paired with the ribbon-trimmed diaper cakes the hostess made and a ribbon-themed baby shower was born!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

What could be more symbolic of childhood than a red wagon? Probably not many things that many generations can commonly think of. I had one growing up and they are certainly still all the rage. So when my friend contacted me about making cookies for her son's first birthday party with a red wagon theme, I was happy for the opportunity.

You know what I learned though? Making red wagon cookies with an attached handle is not all that easy. The handle would much prefer its independence rather than remaining attached to the wagon. ;) Since I was not willing to sacrifice the thickness of my cookies for a thinner cookie with an easily attached handle, the result was a few broken wagons passed along to friends. They didn't seem to mind the detached handle nearly as much as I did! What I learned in the end was patience was key when it came to giving the cookies enough time to completely cool prior to moving them.

Once I got the hang of it, I had fun working through the design of the wagons. Keeping it simple and classic was all these cookies needed. The birthday boy's mom (and one of my most supportive fans) loved them which made the minor baking drama well worth it!

So HAPPY Birthday Chase...and congratulations H&K for making it through year one with flying colors (and no broken handles!)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It's officially that time of year...back to school! Hard to believe. I always loved school and was one of those people that LOVED having new supplies each year. Fresh supplies, fresh start. (I'm STILL that way!)

My favorite "tween" is starting middle school today and I wanted to make her a little something fun in honor of this new chapter. I decided I was going to jazz up a simple notebook for her. I took a few photos along the way so I could put together an easy tutorial for you on how to make a preppy grosgrain ribbon notebook.

First cut ribbon into strips long enough to stretch the length of the notebook with about one inch extra ribbon on either side.

The hot glue the ribbon onto the inside of the top of the notebook.

Pull the ribbon across the front of the notebook.

And then hot glue it to the inside bottom.

Your edges do not have to all line up perfectly (as you can see) because you will cut 2 more strips of ribbon the width of the interior of your notebook to cover the edges. Hot glue that ribbon over your already glued edges.

Repeat this entire process for the back cover of your notebook.

This could easily be the finished project. Easy, inexpensive, cute...and preppy!

However my favorite middle school prepster also has a real thing for peace signs. So in a tribute to that, I decided to add a fabric iron-on.

I set the iron to the wool setting and quickly pressed on the applique.

Voila!

The thank you phone call I received after she opened her gift was so cute. This went over very well which of course made me happy. And if it's "cool" enough for a middle schooler, then I'd say it's about safe for any grade. ;)

You could do so many things with notebooks to make them fun for school. Cut your favorite wrapping paper to the size of the notebook cover and Mod Podge it on, cut fabric to the notebook's size and hot glue it to the inside cover, or even wrap them in contact paper. Such an easy way to put a personal spin on basic school supplies.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Well, as much as I hate to say goodbye to summer, my consolation prize is to say HELLO to college football season! I am definitely one of those girls who enjoys to cheer on her team. Going to football games is one of my husband and my "things" and being a dual alma mater household, we are already gearing up for a fall season of road trips.

When I was touring colleges nearly 15 years ago (yikes!) one of the major items on my checklist was school spirit. The second I stepped onto the campus at Virginia Tech, I knew it was "the one" for me. I just knew it...and I was right. Once a Hokie, always a Hokie.

VT gave me an amazing 4 years complete with friendships that will always be maintained. I have been back every single year for at least one game with those friends and hope that will remain the case. We're heading down to Blacksburg tomorrow for opening day and of course I had to make a few Virginia Tech cookies to share at tailgates.

Can't wait to hear "Enter Sandman" blare on the speakers in Lane Stadium. (Even my Penn State loving husband gets a huge kick out of that!)

We'll check out our team this year and hope that our QB can lead us all the way to New Orleans in January.

And if we're lucky, maybe we'll even get a tailgating picture with the Hokie Bird!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

I have convinced myself that 30 something is the new 20 something and hope to convince myself of the same when I celebrate my next decade. Thankfully these cookies only confirmed my theory. I recently received a request for some chic, girly cookies to be the centerpiece at a fortieth birthday party. The BFF throwing the party asked for shoes, dresses, cocktails and specifically a Prada purse in honor of the birthday girl. These cookies are right up my alley and always a favorite of mine to create.

I have to say that the Prada purse was especially fun to make...

And the chocolate jewel in the shoe is quickly becoming a signature of mine.

I'm Amy...girl of many interests. :) Whether it's visiting with friends & family, traveling, party planning, cooking, baking, crafting, or cheering on my teams, I rarely find myself with "down time." So please follow along and I hope you like what you see. Cheers!